O.G. Original Gangster

Another good 90s rap album. Not my main genre to listen to, but I appreciate this.

Some fairly primitive hip-hop. Real OG shit to be sure. Ice T can definietly rap, but this album didn't do a whole lot for me. I probably just need to be more gangster.

mucho rap ya loco otra cosa

O.G. Original Ganster is like many late 80s/real early 90s rap albums that went through "omg CDs are new and we can make albums longer and we'll add a bunch of skits and stuff to it" phase that also largely sounds like the same hip hop that was popular of its time. The album is gangsta rap but if it sounded a bit more like mid-80s hip hop, the tailend of the golden age stuff. It's solid but ages as you would expect, but not as well as Public Enemy. Body Count isn't on the list, but Ice-T as a metal musician should also be heard because to me, for him to blend those genres as they were both rising from their parental genre father figures (metal - thrash metal as rap - gangsta rap), is very impressive.

Home of the Bodybag is cool except it's just like a weird random word generator why do so many rap/hip hop tracks have the artist saying their own name over and over again? they just want to hear it said? they like introducing themselves and want to do it a lot? like every song is this over and over again. pop does it too sometimes but more of like the hip hop leaning pop

OK

Now he’s a cop on one of the most socially irresponsible cop shows ever.

Not the worst rap album recommended but I'll never listen again.

This is really cool and fun and you get the feeling that you're listening to someone who's actually cool and who's actually having fun. Man the 90s rapper to regular on primetime television pipeline is strong this week!

OG

Oh no, not another gangsta rap album, was my first reaction. I then read some reviews that said that this was smarter and less overtly misogynistic than other examples of the genre, so with trepidation I pressed play. The first track was drearily predictable schtick about body bags which was then followed by an excruciatingly embarrassing skit. Unless Mr T is an ardent supporter of the protected constitutional status of the Church of England then I don’t think that ‘Antidisestablishmentarianism’ means what he thinks it means. After that, I rapidly lost patience with the usual stream of mother-effin n words and the usual misogyny, which is a shame because some of the samples and beats sounded interesting, but I think I’ll just go and listen to the originals. Antidisestablishmentarianism-tastic!

6.3/10

Y’all, Ice T said gay rights! Really just too long. Too many songs that repeat a point or have less to say, which is a shame because there are tons of songs on here that have something to say, and make interesting points. I was initially thinking, what’s the point of this when we have Ice Cube and Public Enemy and whatnot already on this list, but I was actually won over a lot of the time. But again, too much filler.

Album #243: Ice-T – O.G. Original Gangster ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ice-T can seemingly do it all, and it’s all on display here. He’s a stone-cold gangster rapper through and through, but he might well be the most likeable rapper I’ve ever heard. That’s because he raps with morals and principles. He’ll blow your fucking head off, but you need to give him a good reason to do so. Other than that, he seems like a pretty nice guy who just wants to have a good time and be on the right side of history. There’s a depressing realism to his portrayal of Los Angeles and the prison systems around the world. He’s not necessarily looking for violence, but violence finds him. I think it’s a fucking great record. I really, really do. It’s perhaps just on the brink of sounding slightly outdated, still very much an ’80s hip-hop album, but there’s so much variety here for a record of this length. There are loads of different beats and styles, and he even throws in a rock song towards the tail end of the album. It’s not very good at all, but I was never bored listening to this. As with every hip-hop album since the dawn of time, it’s way too long. I didn’t mind the length quite as much here, but you could still cut a few songs. The skits are good throughout, too, which is a rare thing. Ice-T is a funny guy, and he can do it all. He can rap about violence, tell a story, make you laugh, and rap about rapping itself. He also steers away from misogyny and homophobia to a surprising degree. Are there moments of misogyny on this album? Absolutely. But it’s nowhere near as bad as what you’d find with pretty much every other rapper of his era. He even makes a case for equality on “Bitches 2”. He comes across as a genuinely likeable, down-to-earth dude. There’s something very believable about the whole thing. It’s not outlandish or stupid. That grounded quality adds to the power of the album. He raps about just about everything, and I particularly love the tracks where he raps about his own abilities as an MC. That old-school Rakim-style approach, where you’re going to kill someone with a lethal rhyme, is one of my favourite forms of rap. I love that stuff. It’s a strong four stars, one of the best hip-hop albums I’ve ever heard. This was my first time listening to it today, and I wish I’d heard it years and years ago when I was obsessed with hip-hop. I don’t know how I missed this one.

Its good, but its way too long 3.5/5

++: Home of the Bodybag, First Impression, Ziplock, New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme), Straight Up Nigga, Evil E - What About Sex?, Fly By, M.V.P.s, Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous, Street Killer, The Tower, Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year +: Mic Contract, Mind Over Matter, Ed, O.G. Original Gangster, The House, Body Count, Prepared to Die, Escape from the Killing Fields, Pulse of the Rhyme +-: Bitches 2, Fried Chicken -: Midnight 8,2/10

Ik vond dit een lekker albumpje. Misschien wat (te) lang en te veel van dezelfde sound, maarrrrrr ik kan altijd wel genieten van deze periode van hiphop. Waarin het niet kei hard was en de beats chill waren. Niet goed genoeg voor 4 sterren, dus een 3. Dat rocknummer deed voor mij echt totaal niks en voelde Zelfs misplaatst op dit album

Wel leuk om te horen, verschillende dingen geleerd van dit album, bijvoorbeeld dat mannen ook bitches kunnen zijn, dat arm zijn en straatcultuur niet per se vet is, verder komen onderwerpen als verhalen uit de hood voorbij. Ook verteld Ice T over de herkomst van rock n roll muziek en klinkt kort daarna een soort rock achtig nummer. Ice T komt op mij op de een of andere manier best sympathiek over, al klinkt dat misschien raar voor een O.G original gangster. t album komt wel uit de tijd dat hiphop nog niet heel vet was en het is wat aan de lange kant. 3 sterren.

This has been my favourite hip hop pick yet from this list. I like how provocative it is. I’m Enjoying the vibe more. I guess I’m starting to develop more of a taste for the genre, for which I’m thankful to this process! Recognised the When The Levee Breaks Led Zeppelin drum sample too.

I mean its ok, listenable, its got a decent composure.

Pretty good beats, nothing special voice, okay relisten value, but in the end nothing too special

No thanks. This was groundbreaking due to violence and language but not due to musicality. It's close to unlistenable.

5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background

Enjoyed it for the most part. I liked how political it was. I liked the samples that were used. I just don't think it was varied enough for how long the album was and a few of the tracks were quite repetitive. The exception to the lack of variation was Body Count which was a fun addition. It was interesting to listen to but not something I think I'll come back to. Fav song: O.G. Original Gangster Least fav: Ed

He's actually got two Grammys so there's a lie right at the start of the album. I liked this album so much more than I thought I would- it didn't have the sexism or homophobia I've come to fear from rap albums of this era and there are some really great and powerful moments in this album. You can feel his anger and frustration and it's explained so well. Is a bit too long and while I found Bitches 2 really fun just cause it's not calling women bitches doesn't mean it's not sexist... but a lot less sexist than I expected! Body count is a bit like when a tv show has an episode about a background character to try to launch a spin off show- a backdoor pilot song. Favourite song: Straight Up N****( or O.G. Original Gangster, or Body Count) Least: New Jack Hustler

I would be embarrassed if I'd recorded such sexist and misogynist material.

I listened to this in the 90s it was apart of my discovery of hip hop ice cube Being the main artist that really got me into hip hop back then I enjoyed just not as much as some of the hip hop artists around at the same time and my opinion hasn't changed its a good solid hip hop album and was nice listening to it again, certain lyrics and parts haven't aged well but even then it was controversial worth a listen but not a just hear

As far as south central 90's gangster rap goes, this one has a few positives. One of them is that it seems almost aware of how obnoxious all of the skits and misogyny were and has a track that points it out. I don't know too much about Ice-T but I do know roughly around this time he collaborated with Slayer to do a medley of Exploited covers and it rules.

Very typical gangster rap. Appreciated the disses at the end of the album and there is some commentary on the state of things.

Such a one note pony. And again and again, violence/anger is the one note. I am not impressed. I will thankfully never have to hear this shite again. 2 "I am bored" stars.

First time listening to anything from Ice T. This was a bit better than the other gangsta rap on here and the lyrics didn't seem completely dumb so that's a plus 2/5

A couple of Gangsta rap albums in a row - although different, they feel very similar to me. I like the energy and the anger but the slurs and the appalling descriptions of women are troubling. Its a guilty, enjoyable listen.

Gangster rap doesn't really do it for me. This was ok, but I just find the content so hard to engage with.

Couldn’t get into it

For the self-appointed godfather of gangsta rap, he's just not very good. The beats are good in parts, but his bars are poor.

Enjoyed this. Probably somewhat shocking back in '91

I think Ice T's rapping and message are not exactly consistent throughout the album, but its simple-yet-effective beats keep the album engaging.

Not for me; too much profanity

My god, O.G. Original Gangster was so bad. It's a shame that it's as bad as it is because i remember liking a song by his band Body Count called Carnivore back in high school. Unfortunately, this album does not carry that same quality. The production is okay for the most part with some good moments but other than that, it's not worth talking about. However, what is worth talking about is the lyrics and just how much they suck. Almost all the lyrics on offer are just Ice stroking his ego and talking about how he gets bitches and all that. And don't get me started on the skits because one of them is literally just a woman further stroking his ego. This album represents so much of what i don't like about rap music. A guy just stroking his ego and saying how great he is just isn't enjoyable to listen to at all. Not even The Tower is able to save this from a 1 Best Song: The Tower Worst Song: First Impression

Less bangers than his other albums, and overly bulked out with short, forgettable tracks and skits.

Very good. Like the Black Sabbath sample.

Peak My dad has this on vinyl so that’s how I listened to it

Beetje saaie rap-muziek, maar ik stoor me er ook niet heel erg aan dus alsnog 2 sterren. **

You know for the guy who talks about how good at rapping he is. He is pretty bad. Now before anyone comes for me, I don't care if this was influential on ganster rap. Its udder shite and shouldn't even bee consumed for historical value. Let Run DMC, LL Cool Jay, and the other B boys rule the genre for the 80s. Please stop keeping this guy famous

It's a bit long, but I like it. Definitely not in my wheelhouse, but I know I heard some of these songs in the 90s when I was growing up. Midnight is a stand-out track to me.

Listening while cooking and thought there were only a few tracks left when someone on the record said "we're halfway through".. so yeah, it's about 20 minutes too long. That being said, if you like classic gangsta rap, this certainly fits the bill. Hard beats and solid storytelling and rhyming. 3.5/5.

Interesting Ice T doesn't necessarily have huge mega hits. Not for me.

Couldn't be made today (2026) but I liked it

I grew up watching Yo! MTV Raps, and I have nostalgia for this era of hip-hop. I like this album, but I'm afraid Ice-T has been ruined for me forever. The whole time I'm listening to this record, all I'm thinking about is the John Mulaney bit about Ice and his Law & Order: SVU character. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!

pretty good!

Ok - I did enjoy New Jack Hustler. Some of the beats were great (I hear some old school Funkadelic samples cropping up) but I'm not super impressed overall. Cut out the minute long skit stuff and the rapping is fine. Similar to LL Cool J...

if i had to listen to gangsta rap forcibly, i'd be happy to at least listen to this album. it's still gangsta rap, but it has moderately good lyrics and reasonably good samples/music. still basically garbage gorilla bragging, but hey... live and let live...

I am not a huge fan of the older rap where they just say a bunch of stuff, but instead I like the more melodic songs from maybe early 2000s. This is why I didn't really enjoy this album because it was just a bit meh with a looping soundtrack in the back and ICE-T just saying things here and there. I do know that this is the album that cemented the term Original Gangster for OG, but it's just not really for me. There are a couple of songs that are alright as background listens.

OG rap from the 80-90s.

Starta tynt for meg, men tok seg bra opp. Enkelte som smeller, men er en del listefyll. Body Count trekkern bra opp ass!

Hugely influential but could've been halved and still got the point across. Skits still horrible. 4/5

Álbum de Rap dos anos 90. Mais de 1 hora de duração. A voz de Ice T é legal, alguns flows bons, batidas decentes… Mas tudo é muito cansativo. Mais do mesmo, já sinto uma exaustão imensa de quase tudo feito nesse gênero nessa década. E sinto que ainda há muito mais como isso aqui na lista. Meu maior problema é o conteúdo lírico. São letras cansativas e clichês. Passo. 2/5

Solid gangsta rap album. The random rock song was pretty cool too.

Who doesn't love Ice?

Not my thing but not a bad thing

That guy from Law and order? yeah yeah, the jokes been done to death i know. This album absolutely is a product of its time and does have an impact on creating arguably the most important era of hip hop in its commercial state, despite the fact that this album is anything but commercial. That said, this album did get kinda old after about 30-40 minutes in, but its highs were really good, and plants itself as an essential gangster rap album. 3/5

It really annoys me when artists do this. There is clearly a very clear vision as to what this album was meant to be, and a very clear intention for how it is used as social commentary. And yet, it has been padded out to well over an hour mostly with complete fluff. It had real potential, the rapping, the beats, the lyrics, all very strong elements here. But this album could easily have achieved everything just as well being like 40 minutes. I'm not in any way against long albums, hell, my two favourite albums of all time are 1 hour 27 minutes and 2 hours 20 minutes. But to justify your album being that long, there needs to be a good reason. And this just doesn't have any good reason for its length, just an average hip hop album that's twice as long as it needs to be.

I'm done with this genre. So sick of gangsta rap and all of the violence, misogyny, and bullshit that goes along with it. I enjoyed some of the beats on this and the Body Count song. But, otherwise, just more of the same. It's boring and one-dimensional as hell.

On the one hand, Ice T does not have much of anything interesting to say on this. The fact that he's from South Central LA will be forever seared on my brain because he mentions it about 400 times. On the other hand some of these songs slap. Don't usually love rap rock but it really suits his style on Body Count. I also like songs like Midnight and The Tower with its Halloween theme sample. A mixed bag and the second half is a lot stronger than the first

Honestly, this was better than I was expecting it to be. Probably a little over long, but the shorter songs and skits did well to pad the album out and not make it overstay its welcome too much.

I’d never heard Ice T’s music. Pretty good.

Some shine through and the punk stuff is fun. This is a hard follow to a Tribe Called Quest album. The production is pretty grating at times and not in a good way.

Genuinely a fun listen. Sometimes tacky, but still fun.

Way too long. It all started to sound the same after a while, with the exception of Body Count which was essentially a rock song. I suppose lyrically it makes a statement (my husband mentioned something about Ice-T rapping about the CIA and the crack epidemic on this album) but this is not really my jam. DNF. (2)

Still just not a fan of this genre and the fact every album seems to need to be so long and use so much language.

Maybe I would like gangster rap more if I lived back then or was associated with a gang

Gangsta rap is the most bs, overrated, misogynistic, arrogant, self-centered crap I’ve ever heard in my entire life.

1-way too long 2-uses all the cliches way too much 3-overuse of too many phrases & words

Way too long and repetitive. If it were twenty to thirty minutes shorter I’d probably give it a 2, but it just kept going so it drops down to a 1. Not my favorite style of rap, either.

I like it particularly body Count which was an interesting cross over track

Hey-Ho. Another rap album! Was not expecting anything out of the ordinary. However, this is a triumph - extremely listenable.

not my thing

Ja dit is ooooooldschool hiphop. Zonder te kijken bij de reviews weet ik de strekking al: Veel gescheld, weinig variatie, vrouwonvriendelijk. Allemaal waar, maar dit is echt het begin van gangsta rap. Moet zeggen dat Ice T voor mij wel echt hard is ingehaald door de tijd, het is echt verouderd qua beats en vooral qua onderwerpen enzo. Doet ook erg denken aan vroege NWA. Maar Ice maakt een hoop goed met zn flow en wordplay, die is gewoon echt heel sterk. Hij wisselt veel van flow en daarnaast neemt hij je wel mee in zn leven. Het is rauw en het is hard. Nooit gedacht dit te zeggen trouwens; maar de skits op dit album zijn daadwerkelijk grappig. Ze getuigen van humor en vooral; Ice die zichzelf niet te serieus neemt. Maar teeeering, 72 minuten in totaal. Dit album duurt en duurt. Ik vind Ice T echt geen vervelende rapper, heb best wat opgeslagen van dit album ook, maar ik ben murw gerapt. Er zit te weinig variatie op het album verder om mijn aandacht vast te houden en ook de persoonlijkheid van Ice T houdt niet het hele album de aandacht vast. FAVO: Mic Contract, New Jack hustler(Nino's theme), O.G. Original Gangster,

There were some tracks on here that had so many N bombs it made me uncomfortable. I liked his monologue about how ‘music is music and why would you only listen to 1 type’. That’s really all that saved it for me.

6/10 – Decent

Nothing much to say about this one. Didn't hate it, but I didn't find it very interesting.

it's hard to view him as not the Law and Order guy, it's a solid enough album Will I listen to again: 20%

ive heard this album, it was mid, and i dont really feel like relistening. 5.5 because i have a couple songs liked

I have a soft-spot for this as the rap of my youth - absolutely ridiculous though.

Day 42 The lady on First Impression says everything Fav track: Midnight

Bodycount's in the house

I think this one was a lot longer than it needed to be. I believe this was mostly predictable and had all the clichés of gangsta rap. The rhymes and lyrics tend to be quite cheesy especially when a lot of it is put over a mid-school hip-hop beat. There were some songs I liked but it's nothing that is crazy or something I'd want to return to in the future. Highlight Song/s: "Ziplock" and "O.G. Original Gangster"

Woof that one was too long with not enough stylistic variation for me. 90s boom bap beats like this can only stay fresh for me for so long

72mins? Why can't rappers produce a tight 40min album? First Impression was hilarious. The rest was mid but its getting hit for being too long and rapping to the Halloween theme is cringe. 2/5.

This was fire when it came out, but then Ice T went and became a TV cop.

Usually, I am very much a West Coast Best Coast believer. But in the case of hip hop? East coast >>> west coast.

I really like this style of rap. Good listen today. Amazing to think about ice T’s career from this to TV. Wild.

90’s rap, fast beats and raps. This one’s ok but not really for me

Pretty lengthy for me, though gave me some giggles with my favorite being the "antidisestablishmentarianism" bit

Not my cup of tea

It’s so funny to listen to this album with the context of Ice T being a main character on Law and Order: SVU for 25+ years.

1. 3.5 2. 3 3. 4 4. 3 5. 3.5 6. 4.5 7. 3.5 8. 4 9. 4.5 10. 4 11. 3.5 12. 3 13. 3 14. 4 15. 4 16. 3 17. 3 18. 2.5 19. 3 20. 4 21. 3 22. 3 23. 3.5 24. 3.5

I was surprised by how good this album was, this has help up well.

Hard charging West Coast rap.

I always dismissed Ice-T as the guy from Law and Order SVU. However, this is class, a masterclass in street journalism, the reality of Compton and political cynicism. I can't believe I've never listened to it, a classic. It sounds like a David Simon book reads only with more mysogany and bravado. Could do with being a few tracks shorter